ya, nice piece of pie originally uploaded by Andrew Storms
NPR has an interesting bit about food trends which will be realized in 2011. These include some of the more commonly known ones as “pop-up restaurants” and lesser ones such as restaurants serving up their own versions of “Cheeto-like snacks”. But even with all these interesting sounding trends, NPR’s most incredible claim comes when they say that “cupcakes are dead”.
From the article:
Every year, I predict the death of the cupcake. I’m always wrong.
But this year, they’ll have real competition from the humble pie. Trend-spotters are calling pie the food of the year. Texas and New York restaurants offer pie happy hours. Pies are showing up at weddings, and pie shops are opening in a neighborhood near you. Pies come in sweet and savory, maxi and mini, deep dish and deep-fried.
While the cupcake fad had much media attention, the reality was that it just was not nearly as big here as everyone was claiming it was elsewhere. With that said, will pies be the next big thing? The article claims there are restaurants now offering Baker’s Square-like pie happy hours. These restaurants have clearly found what Baker’s Square has known all along–old people LOVE pie days however I’m willing to bet they aren’t giving it away free every Wednesday night.
So what do you think about NPR’s predictions about 2011′s food trends? Have you seen cupcakes in the past or pies currently (aside from Baker’s Square)? Have you seen or visited any pop-up restaurants anywhere before? Do you think they’d work here? How about restaurants creating their own junk foods? Whatever you have to say about possible food trends in 2011 go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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January 5th, 2011 at 8:18 am
I didn’t even know that the cupcake was “in.”
As for pie, how can one resist? It is so versitile – I bet that trend will be successful.
January 5th, 2011 at 8:22 am
This reminds me of something I’ve been wondering about recently. Where can you get excellent pie by the slice in the twin cities? Preferably at a place that is open for dinner.
January 5th, 2011 at 8:26 am
I predict that 2011 will bring a lot of sweet potato fries into my life. I’m ready for it.
January 5th, 2011 at 8:42 am
Pies? Really? I knew cupcakes was stupid, and I just can’t see a pie place, especially one supplied by sysco drawing them in. I enjoyed Pushing Daisies for the writing and acting, not the pie. There is some sociological thing going on here that I’m not educated enough to speak to.
As far as trends… unless it has something to do with making dead cow meat taste even better when cooked even simpler, I get the feeling the trend will pass me by.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:04 am
I’m a pie lover, always have been. I’ve got about a quarter of a mincemeat pie at home right now. Also, pot pies are delicious.
But, I’m not going to speculate on which sweets get elevated to the highest level of hipdom. Instead, here is my list of foods I wish were trendy so I could eat them at every restaurant:
Risotto- my favortie food. It is so comforting. Too bad the Risotto restaurant on Lake Street isn’t very good.
Eggplant- I love eggplant. It just isn’t used enough.
Sardines- The new bacon? Probably not, but they are super nutritious and tasty and cheap. And you can make so much with them. And they are low on the ocean food chain so you don’t get the mercury and bad stuff.
Tacos- Sure we can get great tacos at fantastic places like Tacqueria La Hacienda, but I’d love to see a place open up that makes great tacos, but uses local, organic stuff. Like what Ngon did for Vietnamese.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:04 am
I personally hope that sweet potato fries die a violent death, but Reuben, the people around me that like those awful things tend to enjoy the Highland/Longfellow grill option.
As far as dessert trends go, I am hoping to get down to the Bars Bakery over in the Selby Dale area. I guess they are going after the “post-cupcake” crowd by making homemade bars that are supposed to be pretty good from what I have heard.
I don’t mind pie, but I can’t eat a whole piece even if just a sliver. I’d rather have a bunch of flavor packed into a small bite or two rather than have it spread over a 12 ounce carb bullet that goes straight to my arteries.
January 5th, 2011 at 9:20 am
I like sweet potato fries at the Savage Depot. Mmm…I’ll have to try them next time I’m at Highland or Longfellow Grill.
I’m not a pie guy but if they can find out a way to make them awesome, sure, I’m in.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:05 am
I will say this for cupcakes: The small Kettle Corn cupcake at Sweets Bakeshop was one of the single best bites of food I’ve had in the last 18 months. I’m indifferent to the “cupcake trend” but there are a few places like Sweets that make some damned great cupcakes around town.
Lefty mentioned Bars. For what it’s worth, I’ve been there and it’s fine. My impression is that it’s great to have in your neighborhood but not worth a drive across town in the way Patisserie 46 is in south Minneapolis. THAT place is amazing.
I can see bars being a trend going forward (vs. pie). In a similar “comfort food” vein, I can see chefs pushing casseroles/hot dishes towards the upscale, sort of like Haute Dish’s take on tater tot hot dish (which is really outstanding, by the way). I could see a super-fancy “tuna noodle casserole” on a menu this year.
I agree with a few blurbs I’ve read in national press that the emphasis on sustainability/local sourcing will jump to the next level. Not only will the menu have 1 or 2 items that say things like “XX Farm beef”, but restaurants will become showcases for specific farmers and farms. If you’ve been to the Angry Trout in Grand Marais, that’s the level I’m thinking…where there is an extensive list of each food ingredient and the story behind who provided it. I also think there will be a rise in places promoting how they butcher their proteins in-house.
Unfortunately places like TGI Friday’s will also try and make us believe they have direct connections to farms much the way places like Molly Cool’s throws out terms like “dayboat fresh”.
I don’t think “pop up” restaurants will work here. Look at the 20 years it took to convince the morons in Minneapolis to just allow food trucks. Maybe in 2031. But I think the downtown food cart/truck movement will re-double. Then in 2012, you’ll start seeing mega national chains adding food trucks to the scene which will be a buzzkill.
I can see a few Latin American fast food chains spreading around town (e.g Pollo Camparo on South Robert Street in West St. Paul). Yuca fries will start showing up on menus, even in mainstream restaurants (not great at Pollo Camparo, but very very good at Brasa in St. Paul and NE Mpls).
Unfortunately, one predicted trend in 2011 is the closing or near-closing of some of the best joints down in our area. I can see Ronin, Satay 2 Go, and Olmeca all disappearing. On the upside, I can also see someone finally realizing that, despite a million options north of the river, you can’t get a decent wood-fired pizza anywhere in the south metro.
Oh, and fast forward to 2014…there will be a kebab/Middle Eastern food version of Chipotle and it will originate from the Washington D.C. area.
And “gluten free” will explode to the point where you’ll have restaurants with specific “gluten free items” sections on their menus.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Sorry…forgot one other thing. Restaurants with their own gardens.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:19 am
I don’t have a bucket list per se, but MSPD’s comment about personal restaurant gardens remind me that I need to get to The French Laundry before I go down. Bonus points for anyone who gets the pun inherent in this message.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:21 am
Have you been to Per Se?
That’s on MY bucket list.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:24 am
It’s on your bucket list because it costs as much as a funeral to eat there.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:24 am
I have not. I have no reason business or personal to ever find myself in New York City and I am ok with that, though if I did Per Se would be something I would strive to try.
I have know people who have been to one or the other, and the general comment is that they are places you can go to once, drop a grand on dinner for two and not have a need to go back. That said, they also say you do need to do it that one time.
Good catch on the pun!
January 5th, 2011 at 10:38 am
MSPD – I like your 2014 prediction. Angry Trout is great and the view is the best I’ve had dining in Minnesota. I can’t picture Satay2Go closing, but Ronin…perhaps.
January 5th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Interesting thread. MSPD, some of your predictions are easy calls, such as the gardens, identifying food sources, TGIF-style copycat/lying, and gluten-free options. Most of these things are already occurring to some degree or another. Your Latin American and Middle Eastern predictions make sense; Latin America in general is on an upswing and immigrants from the Middle East are gaining a footing in local business.
As far as food trends go, it’s a double-edged sword. I love it when a delicious food that I may have forgotten about is “rediscovered”. I hate it when a rediscovered food is overblown, overdone, and industrialized. I especially hate it when a delicious previously-rediscovered food is relegated to the back seat by snobs because it’s no longer trendy. My husband once mentioned to a coworker how delicious bruleed grapefruit is; her response was, “That’s SO eighties!” What a dumb shit. Good food is great regardless of what ignorant shallow people think.
An interesting food ingredient that I’ve been watching of late is coconut. Coconut fat is becoming the new health-food darling. We had Mark Bitman’s spiced whole-wheat coconut pancakes yesterday, and they were amazing. Of course, like many of Bitman’s recipes, it didn’t quite work, was poorly edited, and had to be adjusted, but all in all we had a great breakfast.
Lovely food is lovely regardless of trend. I like the chefs who do their own delicious thing regardless of what others are doing…..
Finally got to Piccolo this week. Very good, interesting, and satisfying. If I have a criticism, it’s that when you make the details your main thing, the details need to be paid more attention to. Taking carmelization to the point of being actually scorched, for example, isn’t daring, it’s sloppy. All in all, though, we had a great experience and I’m glad we went.
MSPD, I agree about Bars. They do a very nice job and they are very good. If you are in the area, stop by. Don’t drive 25 miles for it. Patisserie 46 is a fine example of classic French pastry-making. No new ground, but very solid and offers things that should have always been available in a metro area of this size. There are some other bakeries in the Twin Cities that I am interested in trying and I am happy to see that the carb-phobia that killed bakeries seems to be subsiding.
Cupcakes? They are just small cakes. When well-made, they are very nice. If they are full of shortenening and other tasteles swill, they are bad. Good cupcakes should stick around; bad ones should go away.
January 5th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/724114?tag=search_results;results_list
Pie link. For some reason it won’t do its linky thing. You’ll have to copy/paste.
January 5th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
OH, so NOW it works! It doesn’t look like it will when its in this text box – oh, well!
January 5th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
I love pie. Even the crappy Sysco stuff. Hopefully, the elevation of pie will mean more restaurants start adding it to their menus. At the very least may inspire me to start making more pies.
Sandy, burled grapefruit? really? Never heard of that. I love grapefruit, caramelized sugar and fire. Time to get out the torch!
January 5th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
I really like the pop-up restaurant idea. It gives entrepreneurs a chance to try out their concept before investing in a proper space (if that’s the direction they want to go in). Plus, it really caters to our need for something new all the time.
Along the same lines, I think food trucks will continue to explode here locally. We want it, we need it, and chefs are listening. I don’t think we’ll ever get to Portland-like street food status, but we’ll have plenty of options to choose from.
In regards to ingredients used, I agree with NPR. Kale, celery root, and sunchokes will grow in popularity, especially in Minnesota where these vegetables can thrive.
January 5th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by garciasn, The Cabinet Store. The Cabinet Store said: 2011 Upcoming food trends http://www.lazylightning.org/what-are-2011s-upcoming-food-trends [...]
January 5th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Just read the NPR piece. We love root veg. We try to have dark greens fairly often. Last night we cooked chard and mustard greens (seasoned with garlic and onions) and topped them with little squares of browned natural ham. Very good.
January 5th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
We did pasta, bok choy and chard tonight. Mmm.
January 5th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Great pie is good. Good pie is bad. Bad pie is bad. Very few people are able to make a great pie. Very few kinds of pie translate well to a freezer to be thawed and served to the masses.
January 5th, 2011 at 6:30 pm
this post and comments makes me hungry, and i also like kale, broccoli rape, and other greens and root veggies… combine with smokey or porky meats, or with pasta or rice… all very good.
trends… lake and river fish instead of ocean fish? i had some lake herring at the 128 cafe in St paul and it was damned tasty about a month ago.
more east african restaurants showing up.
i think the Japanese hibachi explosion is over.
the two things we need SOTR: a place with good local craft beers and a down to earth good burger and some good other simple foods; and per MSPD a place that can make a good wood fired pizza that uses good dough and good ingredients.
January 5th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
I don’t like pie. Pie is boring. Crust is gross.
January 5th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
Mulch, the LL crowd should brainstorm the ideal restaurant(s). Then we could form a cooperative and open it (them). There should be enough varied talent here to pull it off. Bill, that would be a fun topic. You could even form branches according to restaurant type.
January 5th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
sandy start here: http://www.lazylightning.org/ramys-pizzeria-apple-valley-mn#comment-23057
January 5th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Speaking of Angry Trout, I had the best dessert there EVER. A shot of local maple syrup. Perfect end to a meal and so, so tasty.
January 5th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
This bodes well for the new Betty’s Pies opening at the MOA.
January 5th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
I have the Betty’s Pies cookbook. The ingredients are not the best and there is too much sugar.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:38 am
Goat meat. Tiki restaurants.
January 6th, 2011 at 11:09 am
I saw goat meat on the menu over at Everest on Grand the other day but decided to go with the yak.
I have no idea if the goat would have been any good, but the yak was excellent.
January 6th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
“Goat meat.”
Joey’s goat, Olive, is sincerely hoping that Sandy is wrong.
January 6th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Goat is the most eaten meat on planet Earth. Who knew?
January 6th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Sorry, Olive.
January 6th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Oh, Olive has been gone for a while now. Didn’t you attend the Burnsville Police Department’s K-9 fundraiser? Olive was responsible for those burgers.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
My wife who works in St. Paul stopped by Bars Bakery on her way home one night and brought me a treat. I had a lemon bar, and it was very good. I would not drive to St. Paul to get a bar, but if I am in the area to stop again I for sure would.
I love pie. I have pie every year for my birthday instead of cake.
The best bakery in the Twin Cities hands down in Bread Art in Bayport. If you ever on your way to Stillwater, you must stop in. I am druelling thinking about it.
January 7th, 2011 at 7:06 am
Sandy, better idea, one which i have thought of for a while, LL players invest in a goat ranch… to hook onto the explosion of goat demand …. actually its pretty good, the best i ever had was in monterrey mexico where roasted baby goat is a specialty and there are many restaurants that specialize in it… beer with lime, tequila and pico de gallo chaser and roasted kid (no pun intended)… pretty good stuff.
my favorite bakery is A Bakers Wife in SE Mpls… its not fancy or trendy , the American Tea Cake is wonderful and they make damn good baguettes at a fraction of a cost compared to other places, although i will admit that Rustica’s baguettes are outstanding and worth the cost.
January 7th, 2011 at 8:20 am
One of the local food blogs I follow has hopped on the pie bandwagon and posted a “Pork Pie” recipe. It looks fantastic: http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com/2011/01/pork-pie.html
January 7th, 2011 at 9:46 am
bill , i thought a pork pie was a hat. it looks good.
January 7th, 2011 at 10:21 am
I perceived Mulch’s comment as “my favorite bakery is Al Baker’s” at first read.
Now I need to clean up all the coffee I just spit out from my desk.
Also, in what I assume was a coincidence, the Star Tribune food guy had a live blog going yesterday. There was a poll involving the participants to vote on best bakery. Patisserie 46 was the clear winner and the Bars place received zero votes. Now, there very well could have been only 7 votes total for all I know, but it quite affirmed what it says here.
January 7th, 2011 at 10:42 am
Patisserie 46 is pretty good. i have never been to Bars.
there are several new bakeries opening in South Mpls now.
January 7th, 2011 at 10:46 am
the pork pies remind me of pasties from Upper Michigan of my youth… i think you can also find them on the iron range and maybe in southwest wisconsin… they are originally from Cornish miners of the 19th century , but the Finns of Upper Michigan sort of appropriated them… there are several great spots to get them in Wakefield, Ironwood, Hancock, ontonagon Michigan, and many church ladies clubs make them as fundraisers… my favorite is from Randalls Bakery in Wakefield… the last time i had them we picked them up warm at about 9:30 on a fall morning that was warm, went grouse hunting and ate them out of the waxed paper bags they were in at about 12:30 as they were slightly warm in the forest….
January 7th, 2011 at 10:48 am
Bakeries
actually that is another complaint… why isnt there a decent bakery SOTR?
i hear that there is a good pastry bakery in downtown Prior Lake… but really there is nothing otherwise at all…..
January 7th, 2011 at 11:12 am
mulch, you can get pasties at Farmington Bakery. Up in north Minneapolis, Milda’s Cafe has them on certain days of the week. In both cases, they aren’t as hearty (nor as good) as the great ones in the places you mentioned, but will satisfy your jones if you have one.
Patisserie 46 and Bars Bakery (and A Baker’s Wife) are completely different things in my opinion. I’m not sure they belong in the same poll.
January 7th, 2011 at 11:28 am
Hey, Bill thanks for mentioning my Pork Pie post. It was partial inspired by a pork pie we were served at a Whole Hog dinner at The Local made by Mike Phillips & Scott Pampuch. They said it’ll hopefully be on the menu at The Local soon so another sign of pie’s being the next thing….
January 7th, 2011 at 11:31 am
Anytime. I have about 100000 of your posts starred to make later. I just never seem to get around to doing them :(
January 7th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Agree to all. Patisserie 46 and Bars are not the same thing. We should start an organic goat farm similar to the wild boar farm featured yesterday in the Strib’s Taste section. We need a pastry shop/bakery SOTR – the one in Prior Lake is average – slightly better than a grocery store bakery. The Farmington bakery is terrible. A Baker’s Wife is a very good old-fashioned American bakery – nothing crusty, buttery, or artisan here, but nostalgically very tasty. Their simple cinnamon-sugar doughnuts are delicious if you can get them hot and fresh. Same with their butterflake rolls – great fresh, but terrible 1/2 a day old. Actually, we stopped going there a couple of years ago because they seemed to be having a problem with selling old goods as fresh.
Pork Pie (Tourtiere or French Meat Pie, although it is actually Canadian) is something that I have made for years – it is a REALLY good dish. They used to sell them near the holidays from a church in the Surdyk’s neighborhood.
I need to explore Patisserie 46 much more thoroughly – perhaps repeatedly for a long time. For research purposes, of course. Rustica is one of those one-in-a-lifetime places that will probably disappear someday; we should eat as much of their bread, kouign amans (spelling trouble here), and bittersweet chocolate cookies as we can before this happens.
January 7th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
yes the French church behind Nye’s used to sell the tourtieres… i remember that… not sure if they still do…
patisserie 46 is great, but it is high end stuff, i dont know anything about Bars, but it sounds like a more homey type bakery then? A Bakers Wife, not everything shines, the American Tea Cake , and the lemon bars are very good. the baguettes were good, at half the price of Rustica , they were good, not the same , but then half the price the suffice with good butter or a nice cheese. But Rustica’s stuff is sublime.
i grew up in a bakery which today might have been considered slightly artisan..my dad made italian bread and other italian items… when he retired and visited us in Portland Or or here he used always be amazed at what the artisan bakeries could charge for a loaf of bread, and he always would analyze it and guess at the type of flour and yeast, and exclaim on the structure.
January 7th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Our Lady of Lourdes Church, founded by Father Hennepin, oldest catholic church in Minneapolis… used to have some services in French, but i dont knwo about that… they still sell the French meat pies daily, i have never bought them so i cannot comment on them….
see from the website:
French Meat Pies
Available for sale daily at the Parish Office (next to the church) Monday – Saturday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM & on Sunday mornings
January 7th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Wow, that’s really neat. I wonder if they’re good? We only had a couple of them a really long time ago. Nice sleuthwork, mulch! Duh, it never occurred to me to use the magic of the internet to check up on it.
Lucky for you to grow up in a bakery.
January 7th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
I like Farmington Bakery.
January 8th, 2011 at 9:45 am
I’m hoping for a more European approach to grocery shopping, that is, more specialty shops for staples like baked goods, cheeses, and meats. This city needs more independently owned butcher shops/meat lockers and bakeries. I used to work in both types of shops and loved how they were vehicles for building the neighborhood. When I visited France I loved poking around in the beautiful patisseries and chartucheries for a simple lunch or dinner.
January 8th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
I would shop daily for fresh food if there were any place to do so. As it is, we regularly shop in approximately 8-10 different stores over about a 25-mile range just to get the minimum on our list. Grocery selection appears to be getting worse, besides. Byerly’s, for example, has fewer offerings than they did 10-15 years ago.